£ § HE ambiguity surrounding the origin, history, and uses of the Hippocratic Oath is in some ways suggestive of the diversity associated with the oath as used by the modern medical profession. The Hippocratic Oath serves at least three functions in the modern era. First, it should always be considered that the oath was being used as a professional obligation—an obligation voluntarily assumed to practice according to the ethics affirmed in the text. This use, throughout the modern period, gives rise to great variety in the texts used and increasingly has led to modifications of the traditional text to reflect changes in social and professional expectations of" right conduct." The second obvious use of the Hippocratic oath is as a professional statement to the public about the ethics of the profession as a whole; while obviously related to the more personal affirmation of professional conduct this corporate use should be recognized as a distinct function. 1 Finally, and perhaps most importantly, the Hippocratic Oath has been and is being used as an affirmation of heritage in which both oath takers and lay witnesses understood that the specifics may or may not be important issues but that the oath takers are aware of and affirm a venerable tradition of social and professional responsibility. That is, in much the same way that i The current debate in Great Britain about the use of the oath clearly partakes of this public character: The Observer, 2 July 1995, p. 5; The Times, 5 July 1995, p. 6. See also Brit. Med J., 1994, 309: 414, 952-53.1 owe my awareness of this current debate to ProfessorVivian Nutton of the Wellcome Institute for the History of Medicine, and appreciate his sharing the information with me.

This essay was originally presented as part of a Society for Ancient Medicine symposium on the Hippocratic Oath in Pittsburgh, May 1995, in conjunction with the meeting of the American Association for the History of Medicine. I appreciate the suggestions and help I received on that occasion. 1 am particularly indebted to Professors Vivian Nutton and Robert Joy who commented on drafts of this paper.